WO2023044897A1

WO2023044897A1 - Unmanned aerial vehicle control method and apparatus, unmanned aerial vehicle, and storage medium

Info

Publication number: WO2023044897A1
Application number: PCT/CN2021/120899
Authority: WO
Inventors: 赵力尧; 吴宇豪
Original assignee: 深圳市大疆创新科技有限公司
Priority date: 2021-09-27
Filing date: 2021-09-27
Publication date: 2023-03-30
Also published as: CN117836735A

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle control method and apparatus, an unmanned aerial vehicle, and a storage medium. The method comprises: in response to a return trigger of an unmanned aerial vehicle, acquiring the current height of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the height of a return point; if the current height of the unmanned aerial vehicle is lower than the height of the return point, determining a return height of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the height of the return point and a preset safety height difference; and during a return process of the unmanned aerial vehicle, controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to rise to the return height. The present embodiment is beneficial to reducing or preventing an unmanned aerial vehicle from colliding with an obstacle, thereby improving the return safety of an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Description

Control method and device of unmanned aerial vehicle, unmanned aerial vehicle and storage medium

technical field

The present application relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicle control, in particular, to a control method and device for unmanned aerial vehicle, unmanned aerial vehicle and storage medium.

Background technique

When the UAV receives the return control signal sent by the remote control, loses contact with the remote control, and the power is lower than a certain threshold, it will trigger automatic return. However, during the return process of the UAV, affected by many factors such as environmental factors and power factors, there are still potential safety hazards and poor user experience in some scenarios.

Contents of the invention

In view of this, one of the objectives of the present application is to provide a control method and device for a drone, a drone and a storage medium.

First, in some return scenarios, the UAV will adopt the strategy of returning at the current altitude. This strategy may cause the UAV to hit an obstacle or be blocked by an obstacle during the return process, resulting in the return failure.

Therefore, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for controlling a drone, including:

Responding to the UAV return trigger, obtain the current height of the UAV and the height of the return point;

If the current height of the UAV is lower than the height of the return point, determine the return height of the UAV according to the height of the return point and the preset safety height difference;

During the return process of the UAV, the UAV is controlled to rise to the return altitude.

In the embodiment of the present application, considering the difference between the current height of the UAV and the height of the return point, in the case that the current height of the UAV is lower than the height of the return point, in order to prevent the UAV from If the drone hits an obstacle, the strategy of raising the UAV can be adopted to reduce or avoid the UAV hitting the obstacle; and the height of the UAV can be determined according to the height of the return point and the preset safe height difference The return height, the preset safe height difference can provide error compensation, further reduce the probability of the drone encountering obstacles, and ensure the smooth return of the drone.

In the second aspect, in related technologies, if the remaining power of the UAV is less than or equal to the safe power for returning, the user will be prompted to return. If the user confirms the return, the UAV will return in response to the user’s return command. During the return process In , if the power of the drone is less than or equal to the power threshold for low battery landing, the drone will be triggered to land. That is to say, there will be a problem that the user is prompted to return, but the drone lands during the return process.

Therefore, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for controlling a drone, the method comprising:

Obtain a first return-home power threshold and a second return-home power threshold, the first return-home power threshold characterizes the minimum power required for the UAV to return from the current position, and the second return-home power threshold characterizes the UAV from the current position The safe power required for returning to the current position, the second returning power threshold is greater than the first returning power threshold;

If the remaining power of the UAV is greater than or equal to the first return-to-home power threshold and less than the second return-to-home power threshold, a low-battery return-to-home prompt message is output to prompt the user to execute the UAV return to home.

In the embodiment of the present application, the first return-to-home power threshold is set, and the first return-to-home power threshold represents the minimum power required for the UAV to return from the current position. When the remaining power of the UAV is less than the second return-to-home power In the case of a threshold value, it is necessary to further satisfy that the remaining power of the UAV is greater than or equal to the first return power threshold, thereby helping to ensure the smooth return of the UAV.

In a third aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a control device for a drone, including:

memory for storing executable instructions;

one or more processors;

Wherein, when the one or more processors execute the executable instructions, they are individually or collectively configured to execute the method as described in the first aspect or the second aspect.

In a fourth aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a drone, including:

body;

a power system, arranged in the fuselage, for providing power for the unmanned aerial vehicle;

And, the control device according to the third aspect provided in the fuselage.

In the fifth aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium stores executable instructions, and when the executable instructions are executed by a processor, the first aspect or the second aspect is implemented. the method described.

Description of drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings that need to be used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings without any creative effort.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an unmanned aerial system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 2 is a schematic flow chart of a method for controlling a drone provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic flow diagram of a second control method for a drone provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic flow diagram of a third control method for a drone provided in an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 6A and Figure 6B are schematic diagrams of different return routes provided by the embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart of a fourth control method for a drone provided in an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of the return prompt information provided by the embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic flow chart of a fifth control method for a drone provided in an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a control device for a drone provided by an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed ways

The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the application with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the application. Apparently, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the application, not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by persons of ordinary skill in the art without making creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of this application.

The embodiment of the present application proposes solutions to potential safety hazards encountered by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the process of returning to the voyage.

Among them, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that any type of drone can be used without limitation, and the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various types of drones. For example, drones can be small or large drones. In some embodiments, the unmanned aerial vehicle may be a rotorcraft, for example, a multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle propelled by a plurality of propulsion devices through the air, the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, the unmanned aerial vehicle Other types of drones are also possible.

Fig. 1 is a schematic architecture diagram of an unmanned aerial system according to an embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment, a rotor drone is taken as an example for illustration.

The unmanned aerial system 100 may include a drone 110 , a display device 130 and a remote control device 140 . Wherein, the unmanned aerial vehicle 110 may include a power system 150, a flight control system 160, a frame and a pan-tilt 120 carried on the frame. The drone 110 can communicate wirelessly with the remote control device 140 and the display device 130 . The UAV 110 can be an agricultural UAV or an industrial application UAV, and there is a need for cyclic operations.

The frame may include the fuselage and undercarriage (also known as landing gear). The fuselage may include a center frame and one or more arms connected to the center frame, and one or more arms extend radially from the center frame. The tripod is connected with the fuselage and is used for supporting the UAV 110 when it lands.

The power system 150 may include one or more electronic governors (abbreviated as ESCs) 151, one or more propellers 153 and one or more motors 152 corresponding to the one or more propellers 153, wherein the motors 152 are connected to Between the electronic governor 151 and the propeller 153, the motor 152 and the propeller 153 are arranged on the machine arm of the UAV 110; the electronic governor 151 is used to receive the driving signal generated by the flight control system 160, and provide driving according to the driving signal Current is supplied to the motor 152 to control the speed of the motor 152 . The motor 152 is used to drive the propeller to rotate, so as to provide power for the flight of the UAV 110 , and the power enables the UAV 110 to realize movement of one or more degrees of freedom. In some embodiments, drone 110 may rotate about one or more axes of rotation. For example, the rotation axis may include a roll axis (Roll), a yaw axis (Yaw) and a pitch axis (pitch). It should be understood that the motor 152 may be a DC motor or an AC motor. In addition, the motor 152 can be a brushless motor or a brushed motor.

Flight control system 160 may include flight controller 161 and sensing system 162 . The sensing system 162 is used to measure the attitude information of the UAV, that is, the position information and state information of the UAV 110 in space, such as three-dimensional position, three-dimensional angle, three-dimensional velocity, three-dimensional acceleration and three-dimensional angular velocity. The sensing system 162 may include, for example, at least one of sensors such as a gyroscope, an ultrasonic sensor, an electronic compass, an inertial measurement unit (Inertial Measurement Unit, IMU), a visual sensor, a global navigation satellite system, and a barometer. For example, the global navigation satellite system may be the Global Positioning System (GPS). The flight controller 161 is used to control the flight of the UAV 110 , for example, the flight of the UAV 110 can be controlled according to the attitude information measured by the sensing system 162 . It should be understood that the flight controller 161 can control the UAV 110 according to pre-programmed instructions, or can control the UAV 110 by responding to one or more remote control signals from the remote control device 140 .

The gimbal 120 may include a motor 122 . The pan-tilt is used to carry the photographing device 123 . The flight controller 161 can control the movement of the gimbal 120 through the motor 122 . Optionally, as another embodiment, the pan-tilt 120 may further include a controller for controlling the movement of the pan-tilt 120 by controlling the motor 122 . It should be understood that the gimbal 120 may be independent of the UAV 110 or be a part of the UAV 110 . It should be understood that the motor 122 may be a DC motor or an AC motor. In addition, the motor 122 may be a brushless motor or a brushed motor. It should also be understood that the gimbal can be located on top of the drone or on the bottom of the drone.

The photographing device 123 can be, for example, a camera or a video camera or other equipment for capturing images. The photographing device 123 can communicate with the flight controller and take pictures under the control of the flight controller. The photographing device 123 of this embodiment includes at least a photosensitive element, such as a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor, CMOS) sensor or a charge-coupled device (Charge-coupled Device, CCD) sensor. It can be understood that the camera device 123 can also be directly fixed on the drone 110, so that the pan-tilt 120 can be omitted.

The display device 130 is located at the ground end of the UAV 100 , can communicate with the UAV 110 wirelessly, and can be used to display the attitude information of the UAV 110 . In addition, the image captured by the capturing device 123 may also be displayed on the display device 130 . It should be understood that the display device 130 may be an independent device, or may be integrated in the remote control device 140 .

The remote control device 140 is located at the ground end of the unmanned aerial system 100 , and can communicate with the UAV 110 in a wireless manner for remote control of the UAV 110 .

It should be understood that the above naming of the various components of the unmanned aerial vehicle system is only for the purpose of identification, and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of the present application.

In some return scenarios, the UAV will adopt the strategy of returning at the current altitude. This strategy may cause the UAV to hit an obstacle or be blocked by an obstacle during the return process, resulting in failure to return; or, the UAV may Use the obstacle avoidance strategy to avoid obstacles and continue flying, but in the case of many obstacles, the power required to execute the obstacle avoidance strategy multiple times will cause the return flight to fail.

In view of the above problems, the present application provides a control method of the drone, which can be executed by a control device of the drone. Exemplarily, the control device may be the flight controller in the embodiment in Fig. 1 .

Please refer to Fig. 2, Fig. 2 shows a schematic flow chart of a method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle, the method comprising:

In step S101 , in response to the trigger of the return of the drone, the current height of the drone and the height of the return point are acquired.

In step S102, if the current height of the UAV is lower than the height of the return point, the return height of the UAV is determined according to the difference between the height of the return point and a preset safe height.

In step S103, during the process of returning the UAV, the UAV is controlled to ascend to the return altitude.

In this embodiment, considering the difference between the current height of the UAV and the height of the return point, in the case that the current height of the UAV is lower than the height of the return point, in order to prevent the UAV from colliding with the If the obstacle is encountered, the strategy of raising the UAV can be adopted to reduce or avoid the UAV hitting the obstacle; and the return of the UAV can be determined according to the height of the return point and the preset safe height difference Height, the preset safe height difference can provide height error compensation, further reduce the probability of the UAV encountering obstacles and reduce the number of times to execute obstacle avoidance strategies, avoid the power loss of the UAV, and ensure that the UAV has sufficient power Returned smoothly.

For step S101, if the UAV receives the return instruction generated by the user operation, the UAV return process is triggered; or the UAV can automatically trigger the UAV return process due to the set program or instruction. Then, in response to the UAV return trigger, the UAV obtains the current altitude of the UAV and the height of the return point.

Wherein, the current altitude of the UAV can be measured using an altitude measurement device in the UAV; exemplary, the altitude measurement device includes but is not limited to a barometer, a visual sensor and/or an ultrasonic wave, etc., this The embodiments do not impose any limitation on the specific type of height measuring device.

Wherein, the return point includes the take-off point of the drone or the return point set by the user. In the case that the return point is the take-off point of the UAV, the UAV may use the height measuring device to measure the height of the take-off point and store the height of the take-off point when the UAV is at the take-off point. If the return point is a return point set by the user that is different from the take-off point, the height of the return point can be input by the user, or the UAV can also obtain the altitude from a server that has pre-stored the height information of the return point. obtained from .

For step S102, after obtaining the current height of the UAV and the height of the return point, compare the current height of the UAV with the height of the return point, if the current height of the UAV is lower than The height of the return point can determine the return height of the UAV according to the height of the return point and the preset safety height difference, that is, the return height of the UAV has a height relative to the height of the return point. A certain safety height difference. In this embodiment, considering that there may be an altitude error in the acquired current altitude of the drone, a preset safety altitude difference is provided, which can provide altitude error compensation, and further reduce the probability and probability of the drone encountering obstacles. Reduce the number of times to execute the obstacle avoidance strategy, avoid the power loss of the drone, and ensure that the drone has enough power to return home smoothly.

In some embodiments, the difference between the return altitude and the current altitude is greater than or equal to the sum of the difference between the altitude of the return home point and the current altitude and the preset safety altitude difference, so that This enables the unmanned aerial vehicle to return home safely.

In some embodiments, the preset safe altitude difference is determined according to the size of the drone and/or the measurement accuracy of the height measuring device in the drone. Wherein, the larger the size of the drone, the higher the risk of collision, then the preset safety height difference can be set larger to reduce the risk of collision, on the contrary, the smaller the size of the drone Smaller, the smaller the risk of collision, the preset safe altitude difference can be set smaller to save the power loss caused by the rise of the drone, that is, the preset safe altitude and the drone size is positively correlated. The higher the measurement accuracy of the height measuring device, the higher the current height accuracy of the drone, the smaller the preset safety height difference can be set, on the contrary, the measurement of the height measuring device The lower the accuracy, the lower the current height accuracy of the drone. In order to ensure safety, the preset safe height difference can be set larger, that is, the preset safe height difference is the same as the The measurement accuracy of the height measuring device is negatively correlated.

For step S103, after the return altitude of the drone is determined, the drone is controlled to rise to the return altitude during the return process of the drone, thereby improving the safety of the return flight of the drone sex.

Wherein, there may be multiple return paths of the UAV based on the return altitude, which may be specifically set according to actual application scenarios, which is not limited in this embodiment. Exemplarily, the drone may first rise to the return height, then fly straight above the return point according to the return height, and finally land at the return point. Exemplarily, the UAV first rises to the return altitude, and then flies a certain distance according to the return altitude, in order to save power consumption, it can fly obliquely to the return point or above the return point Land again. Exemplarily, the UAV may first fly at the current altitude for a certain distance, and then ascend to the return altitude to return in the event of encountering an obstacle.

In an exemplary application scenario, taking the return point as the take-off point of the UAV as an example, if the take-off point of the UAV is the top of a mountain, the user controls the UAV to fly down from the top of the mountain to Take pictures of the scenery under the mountain. When the UAV needs to return after shooting, please refer to Figure 3. It will appear that the current height of the UAV is lower than the height of the return point. There is a risk of collision, so the control method provided by the embodiment of the present application can be used. When the current height of the drone is lower than the height of the return point, according to the height of the return point and the preset safety The height difference determines the return height of the UAV, and the return height of the UAV has a certain safety height difference with respect to the height of the return point. During the return process of the UAV, the UAV is raised The strategy of the flight height, control the UAV to rise to the return altitude, for example, the return route can be carried out according to the return path shown in the dotted line in Figure 3, further reducing the probability of the UAV hitting an obstacle, and improving the unmanned altitude. safety of the return flight.

Considering that in some return scenarios, a return distance is usually preset, for example, the return distance is determined based on the visual distance of the human eye; the distance between the current position of the drone and the return point is greater than the preset In the case of the return distance, in order to avoid the risk of collision, the drone will be controlled to rise during the return process; the distance between the current position of the drone and the return point is less than or equal to the preset return distance In the case of the drone, it will return at the current altitude, thus the above-mentioned problem occurs (that is, the current altitude of the drone is lower than the altitude of the return point, resulting in a risk of collision).

Therefore, please refer to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a schematic flow diagram of a method for controlling a drone provided in an embodiment of the present application, and the method includes:

In step S201, in response to the drone’s return trigger, it is detected whether the distance between the current position of the drone and the return point is less than or equal to the preset return distance; if not, perform step S202, and if so, perform step S203.

In step S202, during the process of returning the drone, the drone is controlled to rise to a second return altitude.

In step S203, the current altitude of the drone and the altitude of the home point are acquired.

In step S204, it is detected whether the current height of the drone is lower than the height of the return point; if not, execute step S205, and if yes, execute step S206.

In step S205, the UAV is controlled to return at the current altitude.

In step S206, according to the height of the return point and the preset safety altitude difference, determine the first return altitude of the UAV; during the return process of the UAV, control the UAV to ascend to the first return altitude; wherein, the first return altitude is different from the second return altitude.

Wherein, if the distance between the current position of the UAV and the return point is greater than the preset return distance, during the return process of the UAV, control the UAV to rise to the second return altitude , the second return-to-home altitude is usually set in advance by the user based on the judgment of the environment.

When the distance between the current position of the drone and the return point is less than or equal to the preset return distance, and the current altitude of the drone is higher than the height of the return point, it means that the drone is returning When the probability of encountering obstacles is low, the UAV can be controlled to return at the current altitude, thereby reducing the length of the return path as much as possible.

When the distance between the current position of the UAV and the return point is less than or equal to the preset return distance, and the current height of the UAV is lower than the height of the return point, the UAV During the return process, the UAV is controlled to rise to the first return altitude, so as to ensure the safe return of the UAV.

In some embodiments, considering the return strategy in the related art is: if the remaining power of the UAV is less than or equal to the return safety power, the user is prompted to return, and if the user confirms the return, the UAV responds to the user's return Command to return. During the return process, if the power of the drone is less than or equal to the power threshold for low battery landing, the drone will be triggered to land. That is to say, there will be a problem that the user is prompted to return, but the drone lands during the return process. The inventor's research found that this is because the return-to-home strategy in the related art only considers the return-to-home safety power with a certain margin, but does not consider the minimum power required for the actual return. Therefore, when the power is less than the minimum power required for returning to the voyage, the user will still be prompted to perform the return operation.

Please refer to Fig. 5, Fig. 5 shows a schematic flow chart of a method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle, the method comprising:

In step S301, the first return-home power threshold and the second return-home power threshold are acquired, the first return-home power threshold characterizes the minimum power needed by the UAV to return from the current position, and the second return-home power threshold represents the The safety power required for the UAV to return from the current position, and the second return power threshold is greater than the first return power threshold.

In step S302, if the remaining power of the UAV is greater than or equal to the first return-to-home power threshold and less than the second return-to-home power threshold, a low-battery return-to-home prompt message is output to prompt the user to execute the UAV return to home .

In this embodiment, in addition to setting the second return-to-home power threshold as in the related art, a first return-to-home power threshold is also set. The first return-to-home power threshold represents the minimum power required by the UAV to return from the current position. When the remaining power of the UAV is less than the second return power threshold, it is necessary to further satisfy that the remaining power of the UAV is greater than or equal to the first return power threshold, which is conducive to ensuring the smooth operation of the UAV. return flight.

In some embodiments, during the flight process of the UAV, the first return power threshold and the second return power threshold corresponding to the current position of the UAV can be calculated in real time according to the current position of the UAV, Alternatively, the first return power threshold and the second return power threshold corresponding to the current position of the drone may also be calculated in response to the UAV return trigger. The different positions of the UAV have corresponding first return power thresholds and second return power thresholds, and the first return power thresholds and second return power thresholds corresponding to different positions are different.

Wherein, the first return power threshold represents the minimum power required for the UAV to return from the current position, and the first return power threshold is determined based on the return path of the UAV, and the UAV The return path includes at least one or more of the following: the path of the UAV rising to the return altitude, the path of the UAV flying to the return point at the return altitude or the current altitude, the UAV The path from landing above the home point to the home point, or the drone flying obliquely from the current altitude or the return altitude to the home point or the path above the home point, and the like.

Exemplarily, taking the return path as shown in FIG. 6A as an example, the UAV returns at the current height, and the first return power threshold may include the path of the UAV flying above the return point at the current height The sum of the minimum power required for a and the minimum power required for path b from above the home point to the home point.

Exemplarily, taking the return route shown in FIG. 6B as an example, the UAV needs to ascend to the return height to return, and the first return power threshold may include the path c of the UAV ascending to the return height. The minimum power required, the minimum power required for the UAV to fly a certain distance at the return altitude, the minimum power required for the UAV to fly obliquely to the path e above the return point, and the The sum of the minimum power required for the UAV to land from above the home point to the path f of the home point.

Considering that the environment where the drone is located will also have an impact on the power consumption of the drone’s return flight, for example, the wind in the environment where the drone is located is strong, in order to offset the impact of the wind, the drone It takes more power to return to the voyage. If the wind in the environment where the UAV is located is weak, it does not need to consume too much power to resist the wind, and the UAV needs to consume less power to return to the voyage. , therefore, in order to improve the accuracy of the determined first return power threshold, the first return power threshold can be comprehensively determined based on the UAV's return path and environmental wind sensing data, so that it can be based on the The return strategy of the first return power threshold ensures the smooth return of the UAV.

Wherein, the second return power threshold represents the safe power required for the UAV to return from the current position, and the second return power threshold may be a preset power difference superimposed on the basis of the first return power threshold , that is, the difference threshold between the second return-to-home electric quantity threshold and the first return-to-home electric quantity is a preset electric quantity difference. The preset power difference is used to provide the user with a space for manual control during the return process of the UAV. The size of the preset power difference can be specifically set according to the actual application scenario, and this implementation does not impose any restrictions on it. For example, the preset power difference can be one-third of the first return power threshold.

In some embodiments, please refer to FIG. 7 . FIG. 7 shows a schematic flowchart of another method for controlling a drone, and the method includes:

In step S401, the first return-home power threshold and the second return-home power threshold are acquired, the first return-home power threshold characterizes the minimum power required by the UAV to return from the current position, and the second return-home power threshold represents the The safety power required for the UAV to return from the current position, and the second return power threshold is greater than the first return power threshold.

In step S402, it is judged whether the remaining power of the drone is less than the second return power threshold; if so, execute step S403, if not, execute step S401;

In step S403, it is judged whether the remaining power of the drone is greater than or equal to the first return power threshold; if so, execute step S404, if not, execute step S405;

In step S404, output a low-battery return-to-home prompt message to prompt the user to perform the return-to-home of the drone;

In step S405, it is judged whether the remaining power of the drone is greater than or equal to the landing power threshold; if so, execute step S406, if not, execute step S407;

In step S406, the prompt message of failure to return is output, and the user is prompted to operate the drone to land as soon as possible;

In step S407, the drone is controlled to land.

Wherein, the relationship between the first return power threshold, the second return power threshold and the landing power threshold is: landing power threshold<first return power threshold<second return power threshold.

In this embodiment, for step S404, if the remaining power of the UAV is greater than or equal to the first return power threshold and less than the second return power threshold, then output low power return prompt information to remind the user Execute the return flight of the drone; the user can trigger the return flight of the drone according to the low battery return prompt information, for example, the user clicks the return control provided by the control device, so that the control device generates a return instruction sent to the drone, and the drone In response to the return instruction, the drone performs a return operation according to the return path of the UAV, thereby ensuring the smooth return of the UAV.

If the remaining power of the UAV is less than the first return power threshold, the remaining power of the UAV is not enough to return, and if a return instruction triggered by the user is received at this time, the UAV may not respond For the return-to-home instruction, that is, the UAV does not perform a return-to-home action.

If the remaining power of the UAV is less than the first return power threshold and greater than or equal to the landing power threshold, the output cannot return to the voyage prompt information, and prompts the user to operate the UAV to land as soon as possible, and the user can trigger the drone according to the prompt information. For example, the user clicks on the landing control provided by the control device, so that the control device generates a landing command sent to the drone, and the drone responds to the landing command and lands on a landing surface (such as the ground or other planes) ), thereby ensuring the smooth landing of the unmanned aerial vehicle. If the remaining power of the UAV is less than the landing power threshold, the UAV is directly controlled to land.

In some embodiments, during the return process of the drone, if the manual control instruction sent by the control device is obtained within the preset duration, considering that controlling the flight of the drone based on the manual control instruction may lead to the return of the drone The path becomes longer, resulting in the remaining power of the UAV not enough to return home, so the UAV can output a prompt message that it may not be able to reach the return point through the control device. It can be understood that the preset duration can be specifically set according to the actual application scenario, and this implementation does not impose any restrictions on this. For example, for the control device is a device with a rocker component, the user can The rod part controls the flight of the UAV. For example, the preset duration is 3s. When the user continues to operate the remote control part for 3s, the no one continues to receive the manual control instruction within 3s, and the output may not be Reminder information for reaching the home point.

In one example, if the UAV is returning home when the remaining power is greater than or equal to the first return power threshold and less than the second return power threshold, the remaining power of the UAV at this time is If it is relatively low, there is not enough power to support the drone to perform other flight tasks. If the manual control command sent by the control device is obtained within the preset duration, it will output a prompt message that it may not be able to reach the home point, and it can Does not respond to said manual control commands.

In some embodiments, during the return process of the UAV, if the manual control instruction sent by the control device is obtained, in a possible implementation, during the continuous receipt of the manual control instruction, the The manual control command and the automatic return control command of the UAV are superimposed, and the UAV is controlled based on the superimposed control command, that is, the UAV does not completely deviate from the return path. In another possible implementation, during the continuous receipt of the manual control instruction, the UAV can also be controlled only based on the manual control instruction without executing the unmanned The aircraft's automatic return control command. After the manual control command is released, the UAV is controlled to return to the return route. Exemplarily, in order to let the user understand the current power condition of the UAV, after the manual control command is released, the UAV can output return prompt information, and the return prompt information is used to remind the user that the unmanned The aircraft will automatically return to the voyage, and the user needs to confirm to continue to return to the voyage. For example, the return prompt information shown in Figure 8 can be displayed on the control device.

In some embodiments, in order to ensure the safety of the UAV during the landing process, if the sensor used to detect the safety of the landing surface in the UAV fails or It is detected that the landing surface is not suitable for landing, and the drone is controlled to hover at a specified height, and the specified height is greater than 2 meters. In this embodiment, hovering the drone at a height greater than 2 meters can effectively prevent damage to people or other animals caused by propeller rotation, reduce the possibility of contact between the aircraft and people in space and time, and increase the human safety.

Among them, the sensor used to detect the safety of the landing surface can be one or more sensors installed on the bottom of the drone. These sensors can detect the safety of the landing surface during the landing process of the drone. For example, if the landing surface is detected If there are sharp objects or the landing surface is a water surface, it is determined that the landing surface is not suitable for landing. The sensors used to detect the safety of the landing surface include but are not limited to visual sensors, thermal imaging cameras or laser radars, etc., which can be set according to actual application scenarios. The failure of the sensor used to detect the safety of the landing surface includes, but is not limited to, the surface of the sensor is dirty or damaged, internal components of the sensor are damaged, or the current ambient light is too dark for the sensor (such as a vision sensor) to detect, and so on.

In addition, the hovering function of the UAV needs to be realized when the horizontal positioning function of the UAV is available. If the horizontal positioning function of the UAV is not available, the UAV is directly controlled Land and avoid the risk of crashing. Wherein, the horizontal positioning function of the drone can be realized based on a GPS receiver or a visual sensor, etc., and when the position of the drone on the horizontal plane cannot be determined, it can be considered that the horizontal positioning function is unavailable.

As shown in Figure 9, the embodiment of the present application provides a schematic flowchart of a control method for a drone, and Figure 9 shows the operation logic of the drone during landing:

In step S501, the drone is controlled to land in response to a landing trigger of the drone.

Among them, the landing process of the UAV can be triggered after receiving the landing command triggered by the user; or the UAV can automatically trigger the UAV landing process due to the set program or instruction, for example, the UAV is in the process of automatic return landing.

In step S502, during the landing process of the drone, it is determined whether the sensor used for detecting the safety of the landing surface is invalid. If yes, execute step S503; if not, execute step S504.

Wherein, it can be judged whether the sensor for detecting the safety of the landing surface is invalid when the UAV approaches the landing surface. Exemplarily, for example, when the drone is 10 meters away from the landing surface, the drone starts the process of judging whether the sensor used to detect the safety of the landing surface is invalid.

In step S503, it is determined whether the horizontal positioning function of the drone is available; if yes, execute step S505; if not, execute step S506.

In step S504, use a sensor for detecting the safety of the landing surface to detect whether the landing surface is suitable for landing; if yes, perform step S506; if not, perform step S505.

In step S505, the drone is controlled to hover at a specified height, and the specified height is greater than 2 meters.

In step S506, the drone is controlled to land directly.

In this embodiment, considering the various possible situations of the UAV during the landing process, hovering or landing methods are adopted based on different situations, which is conducive to ensuring the safety of the UAV or the crowd or animals on the landing surface .

In an exemplary embodiment, during the flight of the UAV or in response to the UAV return trigger, determine the return path of the UAV at the current position to the home point, and use the return path Calculate the first return-to-home power threshold and the second return-to-home power threshold.

When determining the return route, if the distance between the current position of the UAV and the return point is greater than the preset return distance, the UAV needs to rise to the second return altitude during the return process, for example The return path may include a path for the UAV to ascend from the current position to a second return altitude, a path for flying above the home point at the second return altitude, and a path for landing from above the home point to the home point.

If the distance between the current position of the UAV and the home point is less than or equal to the preset return distance, obtain the current height of the UAV and the height of the home point, if the current height of the UAV is high At the height of the return point, the UAV returns at the current height during the return process, for example, the return path may include the path of the UAV flying from the current position to the top of the return point at the current height and from the return point The path above to land to the home point in question.

If the current height of the UAV is lower than the height of the return point, the first return height of the UAV is determined according to the height of the return point and the preset safety height difference, and the unmanned If the aircraft needs to rise to the first return altitude during the return process to avoid the risk of collision, for example, the return path may include the path of the UAV rising from the current position to the first return altitude, flying to the return point at the first return altitude The path above and the path from above the home point to the home point; wherein, the first return altitude is different from the second return altitude.

Then after determining the return path, the UAV can determine a first return electric quantity threshold and a second return electric quantity threshold according to the return path and ambient wind sensing data; the first return electric quantity threshold represents the The minimum power required for the man-machine to return from the current position, the second return power threshold represents the safe power required for the UAV to return from the current position, and the second return power threshold is greater than the first return power threshold .

If the remaining power of the drone is greater than or equal to the first return power threshold and less than the second return power threshold, then output low battery return prompt information to prompt the user to perform the return of the drone, or can respond to no The human-machine return is triggered, and the UAV is controlled to return.

If the remaining power of the drone is less than the first return power threshold and greater than or equal to the landing power threshold, the output cannot return prompt information, and prompts the user to operate the drone to land as soon as possible; or after receiving the user-triggered return In the case of an instruction, do not respond to the return instruction, that is, do not execute the return action.

If the remaining power of the UAV is less than the landing power threshold, the UAV is directly controlled to land to prevent the risk of crashing.

In order to ensure the safety of the UAV during the landing process, when the UAV approaches the landing surface during the landing process of the UAV, the UAV can check the Whether the permanent sensor fails, if the sensor used to detect the safety of the landing surface in the UAV fails or detects that the landing surface is not suitable for landing, control the UAV to hover at a height greater than 2 meters, and wait User's manual control operation. If the sensor used to detect the safety of the landing surface in the UAV fails and the horizontal positioning function of the UAV is unavailable, or it is detected that the landing surface is suitable for landing, the UAV is directly controlled to land, Avoid crash risk.

Correspondingly, referring to FIG. 10 , the embodiment of the present application also provides a control device 60 for a drone, including:

memory for storing executable instructions;

one or more processors;

Wherein, when the one or more processors execute the executable instructions, they are individually or collectively configured to perform any one of the methods described above.

The processor 61 executes the executable instructions included in the memory 62, and the processor 61 can be a central processing unit (Central Processing Unit, CPU), and can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (Digital Signal Processor) Processor, DSP), application specific integrated circuit (Application Specific Integrated Circuit, ASIC), off-the-shelf programmable gate array (Field-Programmable Gate Array, FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or the processor may be any conventional processor, or the like.

The memory 62 stores the executable instructions of the control method of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the memory 62 can include at least one type of storage medium, and the storage medium includes flash memory, hard disk, multimedia card, card type memory (for example, SD or DX memory etc.), Random Access Memory (RAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM), Magnetic Memory , Disk, CD, etc. Also, the device may cooperate with a web storage which performs a storage function of the memory through a network connection. The storage 62 may be an internal storage unit of the device 60 , such as a hard disk or a memory of the device 60 . Storage device 62 also can be the external storage device of device 60, for example the plug-in type hard disk equipped on device 60, smart memory card (Smart Media Card, SMC), secure digital (Secure Digital, SD) card, flash memory card (Flash Card) wait. Further, the memory 62 may also include both an internal storage unit of the device 60 and an external storage device. The memory 62 can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or will be output.

In some embodiments, when the processor 61 executes the executable instructions, it is individually or jointly configured to:

Exemplarily, the processor 61 is further configured to: if the distance between the current position of the drone and the return point is less than or equal to the preset return distance, obtain the current altitude and the return point of the drone the height of.

Exemplarily, the return-to-home altitude is a first return-to-home altitude, and the processor 61 is further configured to: if the distance between the current position of the drone and the home-to-home point is greater than the preset return-to-home distance, at the During the process of returning the UAV, the UAV is controlled to rise to a second return altitude, and the second return altitude is different from the first return altitude.

Exemplarily, the processor 61 is further configured to: if the distance between the current position of the UAV and the return point is less than or equal to the preset return distance, and the current height of the UAV is higher than the set the altitude of the return point, and control the UAV to return at the current altitude.

Exemplarily, the return point includes the take-off point of the drone or a return point set by the user.

Exemplarily, the difference between the return altitude and the current altitude is greater than or equal to the sum of the difference between the altitude of the return home point and the current altitude and the preset safety altitude difference.

Exemplarily, the preset safe altitude difference is determined according to the size of the drone and/or the measurement accuracy of the height measuring device in the drone.

Exemplarily, the preset safe height difference is negatively correlated with the measurement accuracy of the height measuring device, and/or, the preset safe height is positively correlated with the size of the drone.

Exemplarily, the processor 61 is also configured to:

If the remaining power of the drone is less than the first return power threshold and greater than or equal to the landing power threshold, then output a prompt message that cannot return, and prompt the user to operate the drone to land as soon as possible;

If the remaining power of the UAV is less than the landing power threshold, the UAV is controlled to land.

Exemplarily, the first return power threshold is determined based on the UAV's return path, and the difference between the second return power threshold and the first return power threshold is a preset power difference.

Exemplarily, the first return power threshold is determined based on the return path of the UAV and ambient wind sensing data.

Exemplarily, the processor 61 is further configured to: during the landing process of the UAV, if the sensor for detecting the safety of the landing surface in the UAV fails or detects that the landing surface is not suitable for landing, The drone is controlled to hover at a designated height, and the designated height is greater than 2 meters.

Exemplarily, the processor 61 is further configured to: during the landing process of the UAV, if the UAV is out of control and the horizontal positioning function of the UAV is unavailable, control the UAV straight down.

Exemplarily, the processor 61 is further configured to: during the return process of the UAV, if the manual control instruction sent by the control device is obtained within a preset duration, then output a prompt that the return point may not be reached information.

Exemplarily, the processor 61 is also configured to: during the return process of the UAV, if the manual control instruction sent by the control device is obtained, during the continuous receipt of the manual control instruction, the The manual control instruction and the automatic return control instruction of the UAV are superimposed, and the UAV is controlled based on the superimposed control instruction; or, the UAV is controlled based on the manual control instruction;

After the manual control command is released, the UAV is controlled to return to the return route.

Various implementations described herein can be implemented using a computer readable medium such as computer software, hardware, or any combination thereof. For hardware implementation, the embodiments described herein can be implemented by using Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Digital Signal Processing Devices (DSPDs), Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays ( FPGA), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein. For software implementation, an embodiment such as a procedure or a function may be implemented with a separate software module that allows at least one function or operation to be performed. The software codes can be implemented by a software application (or program) written in any suitable programming language, stored in memory and executed by a controller.

For the implementation process of the functions and functions of each unit in the above device, please refer to the implementation process of the corresponding steps in the above method for details, and will not be repeated here.

In an exemplary embodiment, there is also provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions, such as a memory including instructions, which are executable by a processor of an apparatus to perform the above method. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be ROM, random access memory (RAM), CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, and optical data storage device, among others.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, enabling the terminal to execute the above method when instructions in the storage medium are executed by a processor of the terminal.

In some embodiments, the embodiment of the present application also provides a drone, including:

body;

And, the above-mentioned control device provided in the fuselage.

For example, please refer to FIG. 1 , the control device may be a flight controller in an unmanned aerial vehicle.

It should be noted that in this article, relational terms such as first and second are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply that there is a relationship between these entities or operations. There is no such actual relationship or order between them. The term "comprises", "comprises" or any other variation thereof is intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion such that a process, method, article or apparatus comprising a set of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed elements, or also elements inherent in such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article or apparatus comprising said element.

The methods and devices provided by the embodiments of the present application have been described in detail above. The principles and implementation methods of the present application have been explained by using specific examples in this paper. The descriptions of the above embodiments are only used to help understand the methods and methods of the present application. core idea; at the same time, for those of ordinary skill in the art, according to the idea of this application, there will be changes in the specific implementation and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be construed as limiting the application .

Claims

A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising:

Responding to the UAV return trigger, obtain the current height of the UAV and the height of the return point;

If the current height of the UAV is lower than the height of the return point, determine the return height of the UAV according to the height of the return point and the preset safety height difference;

During the return process of the UAV, the UAV is controlled to rise to the return altitude.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining the current height of the drone and the height of the return point includes:

If the distance between the current position of the drone and the return point is less than or equal to the preset return distance, the current height of the drone and the height of the return point are obtained.
The method according to claim 2, wherein the return altitude is the first return altitude, and the method further comprises:

If the distance between the current position of the UAV and the return point is greater than the preset return distance, during the return process of the UAV, the UAV is controlled to rise to the second return altitude, so The second return altitude is different from the first return altitude.
The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

If the distance between the current position of the drone and the return point is less than or equal to the preset return distance, and the current altitude of the drone is higher than the altitude of the return point, control the drone to Return to the current altitude.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the return point includes a take-off point of the drone or a return point set by a user.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the difference between the return altitude and the current altitude is greater than or equal to the difference between the altitude of the return home point and the current altitude and the preset The sum of safe height differences.
The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the preset safe height difference is determined according to the size of the drone and/or the measurement accuracy of an altitude measuring device in the drone.
The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, the preset safe height difference is negatively correlated with the measurement accuracy of the height measuring device, and/or, the preset safe height is related to the unmanned Machine size is positively correlated.
The method according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein the method further comprises:

Obtain a first return-home power threshold and a second return-home power threshold, the first return-home power threshold characterizes the minimum power required for the UAV to return from the current position, and the second return-home power threshold characterizes the UAV from the current position The safe power required for returning to the current position, the second returning power threshold is greater than the first returning power threshold;

If the remaining power of the UAV is greater than or equal to the first return-to-home power threshold and less than the second return-to-home power threshold, a low-battery return-to-home prompt message is output to prompt the user to execute the UAV return to home.
The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the method further comprises:

If the remaining power of the drone is less than the first return power threshold and greater than or equal to the landing power threshold, then output a prompt message that cannot return, and prompt the user to operate the drone to land as soon as possible;

If the remaining power of the UAV is less than the landing power threshold, the UAV is controlled to land.
The method according to claim 9, wherein the first return power threshold is determined based on the return path of the UAV, and the difference between the second return power threshold and the first return power threshold The value is the preset power difference.
The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, the first return power threshold is determined based on the return path of the UAV and ambient wind sensing data.
The method according to any one of claims 1-8, further comprising:

During the return process of the UAV, if the manual control instruction sent by the control device is obtained within the preset duration, a prompt message indicating that it may not be able to reach the return point is output.
The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

During the return process of the UAV, if the manual control instruction sent by the control device is obtained, the manual control instruction and the automatic return control of the UAV will be controlled during the continuous receipt of the manual control instruction. The instructions are superimposed, and the UAV is controlled based on the superimposed control instructions; or, the UAV is controlled based on the manual control instructions;

After the manual control command is released, the UAV is controlled to return to the return route.
The method according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein the method further comprises:

During the landing process of the UAV, if the sensor used to detect the safety of the landing surface in the UAV fails or detects that the landing surface is not suitable for landing, the UAV is controlled to hover at a specified height. The specified height is greater than 2 meters.
The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

During the landing process of the UAV, if the UAV is out of control and the horizontal positioning function of the UAV is unavailable, the UAV is controlled to land directly.
A control method for an unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that the method comprises:

Obtain a first return-home power threshold and a second return-home power threshold, the first return-home power threshold characterizes the minimum power required for the UAV to return from the current position, and the second return-home power threshold characterizes the UAV from the current position The safe power required for returning to the current position, the second returning power threshold is greater than the first returning power threshold;

If the remaining power of the UAV is greater than or equal to the first return-to-home power threshold and less than the second return-to-home power threshold, a low-battery return-to-home prompt message is output to prompt the user to execute the UAV return to home.
The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

If the remaining power of the drone is less than the first return power threshold and greater than or equal to the landing power threshold, then output a prompt message that cannot return, and prompt the user to operate the drone to land as soon as possible;

If the remaining power of the UAV is less than the landing power threshold, the UAV is controlled to land.
The method according to claim 17, wherein the first return power threshold is determined based on the return path of the UAV, and the difference between the second return power threshold and the first return power threshold The value is the preset power difference.
The method according to claim 19, wherein the first return power threshold is determined based on the return path of the UAV and environmental wind sensing data.
The method according to any one of claims 17 to 20, further comprising:

During the landing process of the UAV, if the sensor used to detect the safety of the landing surface in the UAV fails or detects that the landing surface is not suitable for landing, the UAV is controlled to hover at a specified height. The specified height is greater than 2 meters.
The method according to claim 21, further comprising:

During the landing process of the UAV, if the UAV is out of control and the horizontal positioning function of the UAV is unavailable, the UAV is controlled to land directly.
The method according to any one of claims 17 to 20, further comprising:

During the return process of the UAV, if the manual control instruction sent by the control device is obtained within the preset duration, a prompt message indicating that it may not be able to reach the return point is output.
The method according to claim 23, further comprising:

During the return process of the UAV, if the manual control instruction sent by the control device is obtained, the manual control instruction and the automatic return control of the UAV will be controlled during the continuous receipt of the manual control instruction. The instructions are superimposed, and the UAV is controlled based on the superimposed control instructions; or, the UAV is controlled based on the manual control instructions;

After the manual control command is released, the UAV is controlled to return to the return route.
A control device for an unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that it comprises:

memory for storing executable instructions;

one or more processors;

Wherein, when the one or more processors execute the executable instructions, they are individually or collectively configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-24.
A kind of unmanned aerial vehicle, is characterized in that, comprises:

body;

a power system, arranged in the fuselage, for providing power for the unmanned aerial vehicle;

And, the control device according to claim 25 provided in the fuselage.
A computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores executable instructions, and when the executable instructions are executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24 is implemented.